How it is.

     For the second season, I am training for Ironman. It is a fully selfish endeavor. I know this, I knew this when I signed up. Last year, I pretended that I was living a "balanced" life. Ha! I went to work, I did the laundry, I fed my husband and my daughter if she happened to be home, I mowed the lawn, I went to church, I visited my parents, my in-laws, I made dates with friends, dates with my husband and daughter, I went on vacation, I was social. But the truth is, most of the time...I trained, and when there was a gap in training I did those other things.

My entire life fits AROUND my training. To make this truth real, following is an example of a typical day:
- wake up early enough to swim, if that's on the plan = 4:15 AM, throw in a load of laundry on way out the door
- swim 4:45-6/6:15
- shower and prepare for work at gym
- 7:15-3:00 work, all the while eating to recover from my swim/exacting my training plan for after work/eating to prepare for afternoon training session
- ride or run or both 3:15-6-ish
- shower again
- make and eat dinner (shove in "QT" with my husband)
- work on the laundry (gotta have clean training clothes!)
- upload training files and update TP online
- make breakfast and lunch for the next day
- pack training bag for the next day
- text back a friend or two, same with a family member or two
- extra time? read a triathlon blog/journal/review
- go to bed early 9:00-9:30, to be rested to train again

      I don't fully do anything except train.

     I'm a half-ass wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, and sometimes co-worker. I feel pissy if some one/thing gets in the way of my perfectly planned training. I half-listen to my husband at dinner, my mind on what needs to get done, that I'm not doing because I'm too busy training/recovering/planning to train. I make dates with my daughter/mom/sister/friends/in-laws, but the dates are made after I've seen my training plan for the week, not vice-versa. I skip or leave non-mandatory work meetings that run into my training time. I skip church to swim or run with my team. I spend my weekends making up for missed housework AFTER my training is done. I go on vacation, but I never stop training...I look for races to compete in wherever we go. I don't even stay overnight at my sister's place in Priest if it's not convenient for my training. They plan their lake weeks around my summer races. Some of my so-called "dates" with Greg are solely spent on syncing our training calendars and deciding which family/friend events will work around our training schedules. I'm thinking seriously of hiring someone to mow the lawn this summer for the first time ever.

     My mind is likely 50% occupied with my athletic goals, and 50% occupied with the "balance" of my life. That, and also my husband's athletic goals. We're "there" for each other and supporting one another this season as we both train our way to Ironman in August. Really though, that's not entirely true for either of us. If it came down to his goals vs. mine, would I give up my dreams for his at this point?

     I recognize how crazy and fanatical this lifestyle is right now. Only four months seriously into the training season and I already know that this cannot possibly be my life again next season. I am obsessed with endurance training and racing. It has lit a fire in me that I think I've searched for most of my life. It's a way to escape, focus, fixate, channel energy, release it, and deplete and prove oneself. It's not that I hate my life, that I'm not grateful for my loved ones - friends and family alike. I AM GRATEFUL. I miss my strong relationships. I'm not intentionally escaping something. I'm just in the midst of enjoying a selfish lifestyle.

     This is the part of endurance training that most blogs don't talk about, too busy uploading and analyzing and rearranging training to notice how much our lives revolve around US.  This is what destroys marriages and friendships if left unchecked and unchanged.  And this is why I think it is the most important consideration, for any aspect of life.   I'm already working on next year's goals...to be more present and be closer to a true balance of my life.

My Year in Review

This won't be the typical 'miles-per-sport' review, but rather a recollection about the remainder of my season from where I left off on the blog last March.

In May I ran the annual Bloomsday 12k race, for the first time in several years.  I had qualified (unexpectedly) for second seed at the St. Paddy's Five Miler, so I was looking forward to starting in a better position and running with my close friend and training partner, Erica.  We began the race together, but separated before mile 2 rolled around.  I ran a PR time and thoroughly enjoyed the race on a perfect run day!

Later that month, I ran the Windermere Half-Marathon.  Based on my five miler in March and my Bloomsday time, it looked like I could set a PR in the half-marathon distance if I maintained  my miles.  My good buddy, Nate was looking for an easy long run that day, and I wanted to try being paced - so Nate agreed to run with me!  I managed to reach my goal and PR'ed that distance by 6 minutes from last August- thanks Nate!

In mid-June I competed at the Medical Lake Sprint Tri and finished well-  although the race was a little confusing as there were two starts, an hour apart.  The swim started off my race a bit rough (mental problems ;), but once on my bike the power was solid, and my three-mile run was speedy enough. 

July was a super fun training and racing month...I raced Lake Stevens 70.3 with several of my Tri Fusion teammates and friends.  Although I worked very hard on my swim all season, I didn't see a very big time improvement.  Still, I was pleased to have a solid ride and stay on my bike in the very wet and cold conditions - it rained for the entirety of the ride and I actually looked forward to climbing each hill just to warm up.  I was able to eek out a good run and set a PR for the half distance.
At the end of July, Erica, Kathi, Ronnie, and I traveled to Penticton to spend a long weekend swimming, riding, and running on the IM race course.  We were able to squeeze in a couple of open-water swims, my longest ride to-date (then) of  94 miles, and a few runs along the scenic course.  We basically trained, ate, and slept...and caught a glimpse of the opening ceremonies and competition of the Olympics on TV.  The weekend was one of my most memorable experiences for last season - and one that I hope to repeat in Whistler this season.

August was THE month.  It marked my first Ironman, an event I will never forget.  From January 1 until race day on August 26, I missed ONE planned training session that my coach (Roger Thompson) provided for me.  There were weeks that I added a session or two with friends, but I was extremely consistent toward my endeavor to complete Ironman.  Going into the season, my goal was not to simply "finish" the race...I wanted to be as strong as I could be on that day and race well. 

I think Penticton is a special place.  Greg and I have been going to Ironman Canada for the past six years...either to watch our friends/teammates race, to sign-up, or to do the race.  We love the atmosphere because the whole town embraces the athletes and the race.  Going early to acclimate before the race was easy and comforting.  Erica, Greg, Nate, and I drove up to Penticton on Wednesday afternoon and spent some time riding part of the course to review.  Thursday was athlete check-in and a swim and run on the course.  Friday and Saturday were pretty much the same...meet up with teammates and do a short maintenance workout, eat, relax, sleep.  I felt mostly calm and ready leading up, until Saturday night.  I had a moment of sheer fright, a fear of failure and disappointment.  Fortunately, it passed quickly and I awoke on race morning ready to go. 

There are 1,000's of little, but powerful memories that come from a day like this and I've had months to let the dust settle since I raced Ironman.  So, I'm just going to list my thoughts and then finish this race report...

• People: friends, family - they are what make a memory lasting.  MY people are among the most incredible humans to exist. 
• My biggest fear was of the swim.  I like swimming, sometimes I even feel a fondness close to "love" for swimming...but I am not fast.  I worked hard this season to get better, but still I knew what to expect time-wise.  I've been almost paralyzed with fear at the beginning of a race before. However, I had practiced this season (sometimes unintentionally: see June's sprint race) mostly by eliminating exacerbating factors for the anxiety.  It worked.  My swim was still slow (duh!) but I was NOT scared and I have a vivid memory of total calm from my IM swim that morning.
• Riding along on the flat section at the beginning of the bike course, I was showered, no drenched! with love and affection from Greg, Nate, Merissa, Jessi, Rog, Dave, and Melissa.  This made all the difference in riding my bike and enjoying my bike ride.
• I had two low points.  #1: I expected the bike special needs to appear around mile 60, but I think it was really at mile ~75.  I was out of fluid at mile 60 exactly, and I needed to pee.  I was a little upset for about 15 miles. #2: Around mile 3 of the marathon, my calves started to hurt pretty badly and my hamstring pain flared up.  I knew there was Ibuprofen in my run special needs bag, so I just kept telling myself to keep running and soon I'd feel better.  By the time I got to my Ibuprofen, I was almost shuffling...but I never walked. 
• Roger was at the turn around, running with me a bit and assured me that I could walk whenever I wanted.  There was no time goal, no expectation that I had to pursue.  I didn't tell him aloud, but I knew I would not walk unless I could NOT run.  Shortly after taking the Ibuprofen my legs felt better, I started drinking a little Coke at each aid station, and I finished the marathon happy and pain-free!
• The only goal I ever said aloud to anyone was when I told Erica the night before the race that I wanted to finish in the light.
• Race day flies by, there is nothing like that time warp.
• You meet a lot of amazing people in a long race, all of us hoping to greet the same finish line.
• Greg was EVERYWHERE.  He showed up about every ten miles on the ride and then basically escorted me through the marathon on his mt. bike, applauding me and calming me along the way.  I owe him :)
• Cathy, a friend I met at the pool about half-way through the season, worked in transition all day, and hers is the face and voice that greeted me from the start to the finish...she even ran with me during mile 25! 
• The endeavor to race an Ironman is not easy, but it is worth it.  The nightmarish run intervals and pain-inducing power goals, the hours in chlorinated water and time away from home, saying "no" to a tasty cocktail, or going home early...I would not trade the experiences for anything.
• The finish line was like a dream:  Erica returned to the finish, put my medal around my neck, hugged me and took finisher pictures with me...priceless friendship right there.  My mom and Tom were the first I saw at the beginning of the marathon - and I didn't expect them yet!  That was a super surprise.  Melissa was so happy for me that she was crying when we embraced, so precious.  Nate and Merissa high-fived me on the way into the finish, that was awesome.  Jessi, Roger, Melissa, Dave, my sister, bro-in-law, mom and Tom were not only at the finish, but also screaming for me as I entered the last mile along Lakeshore Drive, soooo incredible to feel all their love.  My incredibly thoughtful friends that made the trip all the way to Penticton just to watch the race: Nate, Merissa, Jessi, Roger, Melissa and Dave.  Greg, well he was everything and everywhere for me the whole season.  Ironman week, he made sure I was spoiled and well taken care of.  He crossed t's and dotted i's that I didn't even know needed it, especially all my bike maintenance.  There's no way my journey would have been as seamless or meaningful without his care and utter belief in my ability to have a successful and powerful day.  His embrace after the finish was true love.   

In September Roger, Greg and I drove to Oregon and competed in the Portland Tri.   I wasn't sure if I had any speed in me at all, but I placed well and had a super fun time racing short distance. 

Looking forward to next season, I have bigger hopes and dreams, races to prepare for...including Ironman Whistler in late August. 

Spring Sprint Duathlon

The weekend before this race, I had taken my turn catching a head cold, and wasn't sure that I would be 100% for race day.  As the week progressed, I felt better and better each day.  Even so, I was still worried that my cold might affect my race performance.  The reason I signed up for the duathlon was to test my current speed and strength, and I wanted a fair gauge of my fitness.

The day before the race, I completed my pre-race ride and run feeling well and ready. 

Saturday morning we got up before dawn and drove the two hours to Lewiston with our friends Nate and Merissa who were also racing.  Such a fun way to start a race day!

We've done races on the duathlon course several times, as the race director puts on at least three races per season that utilize the same bike/run routes.  In all my past experiences on the bike course, I did not perform well.  As such, I had several small goals for the race: 1) treat each race segment as a separate entity...2 mile sprint run/12 mile sprint ride/2 mile sprint run.  I was not going to "save" anything for a later race segment. 2) use my power meter to ensure that I didn't coast down any descents, and didn't over-ride any of the inclines on the way out.  Essentially, the bike course is an uphill/headwind out and a downhill/tailwind back.  Saturday was an exception, as we had no wind at all during the race. 3) I also wanted to leave no doubt in my mind that I had indeed raced as hard and smart as I am capable of right now.  4) get in and out of T1 and T2 ASAP, since there was only run and bike gear to deal with.

When the race started, I ran out as fast as I could without getting sick...and it paid off.  I ran the first two miles averaging 6:55, which is a PB for me in a race.  A teammate running just behind me told me later that my first mile was 6:30!  Then, I made my only mistake in the race - I ran to the wrong side of my bike in transition and had to duck under the bike rack, oops. 

Once on my bike, I put my head down and rode into the middle of zone 4 for the duration. I maintained my power on the descents, exactly like I planned (and just like my coach told me :).  I finally had a decent ride on that course.

After I racked my bike and ran out of T2, my legs quickly realized they would have to work extremely hard to maintain low 7 minute miles for the last run of the race.  I ran as fast as I could and ended up with a major PR on that course, second place in my division, and sixth woman overall.  I was relieved that my cold hadn't affected me afterall.

Several members of our triathlon team raced in Lewiston as well, and we had planned to stay in town for a nice endurance ride together after the race.  For 2.5 hours, we enjoyed a breezy, but warm ride along the roads of western Idaho. 

It's a good feeling to know that I'm getting stronger and experiencing a higher level of fitness so far this season.  It's even better to have the privilege of sharing these experiences with my amazing friends and teammates: Greg, Nate, Erica, Merissa, JK, Ginger, Craig, Jarod, Meghan, Matt, and Timmy.

First Race of the Season

Hurtin'

Last Sunday was a local run race-the St. Paddy's Five Miler.  Since I train by heart rate, power, and time - I generally have no idea what kind of speed I do or do not have unless I race.  Thus, I decided to try my running legs at five miles.  My goal was to start out as quickly as I felt I could maintain for the duration, instead of my old stand-by of running faster throughout the race.  In other words, I wanted to run pretty even splits.  I also wanted to push myself hard enough that I was VERY uncomfortable, and know that I had run as fast as I could for five miles early season.

Almost done.

I couldn't realistically aim for any lofty time goal, because I honestly had no measure of my fitness...I just follow my training plan every single day.  My "worst case scenario" time was 40 minutes.  I hoped to run faster than 8 minute miles though, so off I went.
I wore my HR monitor and took splits at each mile, happy to see all of my miles in the 7 minute time range.  I'll admit I was working hard to keep running 7's, and breathing down others' necks like a cow!  In the end, I averaged 7:28's for an overall finish time of 37:21.  Definitely an early season five mile PR :).

With speedy teammates Adam and Jeff.

Next weekend, Lewiston's Spring Sprint Duathlon.  I'm hoping I get rid of the terrible cold I have ASAP, and at the very least, before next weekend!

Lately.  In bullets.  And pictures.

• Still lovin' long run Mondays-now morphing into Tuesdays because...
• Riding trainers with an expert coach and motivating teammates on Mondays.  We're working hard and sweating it out
• Swimming two-three times a week at my local gym, but totally adoring (and dying at)
• An additional coached masters swim on Sunday at Whitworth pool
• Group long rides on the weekend, followed by (blizzardy) transition runs and well-earned brunch
• My loving husband bought me a power meter for my birthday :))  I didn't ask for it (directly) and I probably don't deserve it, but oh how I wanted it!  I'm figuring it out and it's keeping me honest
• Skate skiing with teammates at Mt. Spokane
• Coffee House Runs on Thursday

Dan, Nate, me, Steve, Linda

I'm a lucky girl!

me, Eric, and Jenn

Eric, Jessi, me, Meghan, Bryan, Adam, Jenn, and Mark

The muffins and me

I Love Mondays!

Ready to run!

Mondays have lots of potential...a new start and new hope to accomplish goals, meet objectives, and tackle home and work obligations with renewed energy and vigor.  Typically and without planning to, Greg and I spend a portion of Sunday evening talking about the "big" tasks for the week ahead=> our training, work, and social schedules.  I like to map out my week on Google Calendar and sync that with my iPhone.  We're hoping to get Greg on board with that plan soon as well :)  So, lots to look forward to and little to complain about at the beginning of a new week.

Another reason I enjoy Mondays is because that is my designated long run day!  I find myself daydreaming about running while at work...where will I run, will I run with someone or listen to music, can I please run outside, what glorious winter weather will greet me?  Today was no exception - in fact, I probably spent more than a reasonable amount of time thinking and talking about my long run.  And I wasn't disappointed.  Greg and I ran a loop we don't normally do in the bright sunshine and crisp, icy weather near our home.   Lovin' it!

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates

Or like going without a box of chocolates when you really want some :) 

Last week's IM training was basic s/b/r + core strength, but it was solid and good.  My main focus, besides building my fitness in all three sports, is definitely swim technique improvement and learning to push myself as hard in the water as I am willing to when riding and running.  Of my three swims last week, my best effort was at our Sunday masters swim...I thought I would never get enough air to breathe - the entire workout.  Soooo, that's what it feels like to go for it at swim practice?  I like it and I want more of it.

Looking Forward...

to my first Ironman!

I pretty much stopped blogging after my very disappointing race at California 70.3 last year.  But I didn't stop training and after I got healthy - I ended up with a rather happy, successful, and balanced season after all.  I even set a few PR's :)

Throughout the season I swam/biked/ran for endurance, and enjoyed training with some inspiring and dedicated athlete friends.  I spent the summer months contemplating registering for IMC, with loads of encouragement from my husband and a few close friends.  In August, Ironman Canada 2012 registration approached. So, here I am...at the beginning of eight months of serious Ironman training.  And I know I am going to want to share my experience and reflect after the fact.  I'm definitely not the first athlete to be in this position, but it is my personal journey toward my first Ironman race.  So, follow along with my training and ah ha! moments if you'd like.

On my way=>
I've got a smart, seasoned, and talented coach
I took a short, but very unstructured off-season in October
I became and remain serious about core strength this season
Plan to complete two 70.3's and several shorter races along the way
Continue to enjoy my Brooks sponsorship
I'm making some sacrifices:
no alcohol (not a biggie, but still)
plant and protein rich diet (also, pretty much my norm)
sweets restricted, except on my two long days of training/per week, and only minimal consumption
7-8 hours sleep/per night, more when necessary
But hoping NOT to sacrifice family/close friends or caffeine!

Wishing you all a very happy new year!

California 70.3 - Fail

The short version is this:  I ended last triathlon season by completing my first half ironman distance race at Troika.  With a lot of hard work, a healthy season, and relative ease, I finished that race in 5:50.  I had raced smart and conservatively and I looked forward to my next go at the 70.3 distance.

I signed up for Cali 70.3 last October and trained my ass off all fall and winter long.  Round about 6-8 weeks before the race, every ride and run felt like a major struggle.  Frankly, I felt powerless.  I thought my legs were just overly fatigued and would "snap back" during recovery week.

I was completely wrong.  I finished Cali 70.3 an entire hour slower than Troika.  Granted, the swim at Oceanside is in a choppy ocean and the bike course is much more challenging in Camp Pendleton.  Whatever.  I gave the race all I had, but I just felt bad, again powerless.  Not sick, but not 100% well.

I'm not an excuse maker and when something goes wrong with me, I will always blame myself.  Immediately after the race I started finding all kinds of reasons for such a piss poor performance at the race...I didn't recover between race season (this might be true), I should have hired a coach, I should have used a different training plan, I shouldn't have done strength training this season, I need a new bike fit, and so on.  My husband had another theory - perhaps my chronic anemia was back, since I hadn't taken my iron in months.

One blood draw and a doctor's appointment last week said it all: I am severely iron deficient and suffering from anemia.  So, though I don't have to change my entire training approach, I am still mad at myself and it really is my fault for not taking care.

What's next is not entirely clear to me yet, since it could take four months before my iron stores reach a reasonable level.  My plan is to finish my three weeks of recovery this Saturday and start building the blocks of smart and healthy training again.  I want to feel some power when I swim, bike and run.  I look forward to enjoying a long run, not dreading my failure at it.  I want to be able to push hard and know I am making progress.  I want to succeed.

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike.

Last week I had a baaad attitude about my training load, especially riding my bike for seemingly endless hours inside.  Just after I revamped my training schedule for the wiser, mother nature came and catapulted me into bike riding heaven.  The picture above is from my ride OUTSIDE yesterday afternoon!!!  I'm sure I grinned the whole time and my smile was bigger than my face. 

There really is no better way to rejuvinate and revive one's perspective about training besides a major change of scenery.  Happily, I was not more than ten minutes into my ride when I had to peel off a shirt layer and a pair of gloves.  Spokane can provide some of the most beautiful landscapes, especially between seasons = brilliant sunshine + snow covered fields. 

The hours I spent on my bike yesterday seemed like mere minutes.  Another surprising aspect of getting back outside to ride is the renewed enthusiasm for routes that seemed mundane by the end of the last race season.  Instead, I was in awe of all the little details.  I even grinned my way up a long, tough hill climb, seriously thankful for the opportunity to embrace the day's warmth on my bike.

  I sure hope you had a chance to get out there and ride too!

Half-way there.

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with this post; except that it's very close to Valentine's Day and I just love this happy picture of me and my sweetie.

Well, I'm half-way through my sweet, sugary, blissful, yummy goodness FAST.  100% success so far.  The major temptations I have had to overcome include: gooey brownies at Dinner Club night, a HUGE box of Dove chocolates for my birthday, my entire family ordered either chocolatey lava cake or creme brulee at my b-day dinner , a student gifted me red velvet cupcakes, chocolate/cream cheese cupcakes at my birthday party, Davenport's famous soft peanut brittle, donuts in the staff room 2x and a student brought me donuts in class today.  Still to overcome: Valentine's Day sweetness.  I will admit that I have definitely prayed more in the past 11 days than I have ever before.  And that's the whole point!

In other news, I'm training right along - but I am having a little trouble with my attitude lately.  Two weekdays I have very long training bricks to accomplish.  I may actually hate my life both of those days.  I tried to get up this morning at 4:00 to get one of my workouts done - but my bed was too warm and comfy to get out of so early.  I keep trying to think of ways to reorder my day's activities to fit in the workouts so they cause less stress.  Not happening!  If it was light earlier in the morning - I'd just get my run done.  My resolve for next week is to get my buns outta bed in the early AM and suffer a bit.  Also, I should remind myself that this is a life choice :).

Happy early Valentine's Day to all you sweethearts!!!

FAST

Today I will start fasting and will continue for 21 consequetive days.  My church is engaging in a congregational fast to pray for something specific.  I am too.  The idea is that I will give up a specific food, habit or activity and every time I miss/crave/think about that "thing," I will say a prayer for someone else. 

I choose to fast from all sweets for 21 days and pray for a person who is very precious to me.  This means that I will not eat chocolate, candy, cookies, (cup)cakes, pie, birthday goodies, Valentine's Day treats or anything that I would consider delicous, sugary bliss. 

So if you notice me acting forlorn, lethargic, mean, grumpy, moody, despondent, nervy, resentful, defeated or miserable - maybe you should start praying for ME!

A Fun Reprieve

I think it was about four years ago when Greg and I first attempted skate skiing.  We tried to learn by skiing in the dark, on frozen trails with a small beam of light coming from a head lamp.  I did not ski well and felt like it was entirely too challenging for my liking. 

Yesterday I got another go at it - and it was incredible!  Fitness Fanatics, our local (crack shop) triathlon store provided two instructors for our tri club to ski at Mt. Spokane.  Fourteen of us met with skate skiing gurus, Caroline and Brian, and received careful and fun instructions on the fundamentals of skate skiing.  Conditions were awesome...snowfall with huge, downy flakes, a bit of ambient fog and lots of enthusiastic teammates. 

Greg, Nate, Curt, Christine and I enjoyed our lessons so much that we skated around the mountain trails for another 1.5 hours afterward - increasing our skills and the fun factor by a big bunch.  I'm so glad we tried it again, and both Greg and I got a better taste of the sport.  Skate skiing is definitely an exciting cross training alternative that I will be enjoying again very soon.

What's up.

I realize I haven't posted anything new since Thanksgiving.  Honestly, it's not because nothing has happened in my life in the past 6 weeks, or because I have nothing to say.  It's just been busy, busy, busy.

Mom and dad on Christmas morning.

We had an amazing Christmas celebrating Christ's life with our family and friends!  Lyara has been home for two weeks, and we are absolutely loving her company. 

Skiing and snowboarding at Schweitzer with Lyara.

I'm happy to welcome the new year feeling energized and ready to embark on a more structured and focused training plan.  As a nice bonus, I've been sponsored by Brooks again for the upcoming tri season and I am so excited to represent the best running company in 2011!

Although I didn't officially take any time "off" from training, I did enjoy an unstructured training schedule from October through December.  I continued swim-bike-run workouts, but I also indulged in yoga, mountain biking, and snow shoeing.  In early October, I added in strength training for endurance.  Strength training is now a very regular and important part of my weekly plan, month after month.

We've also hosted several HLR's at our home that always prove to be spectacularly fun and social.

Virginia, Gingey, Mitch, Nate, Merissa, Kevin, Roger, Steve, Me, Matty, Jessie & Jessi.

Now I'm full swing into triathlon training again and trying to balance my life.  While swim-bike-run is important to me and a passion that my husband and I share, I remind myself NOT to let the numbers of training take over the other numbers of important people, and time shared with them, in my life.  Today, after I rode my bike for XX:XX and got ready to meet a friend to run for a while, I contemplated how much time I spend watching time go by, either in the water, on my bike or during a run.  Then I thought, what else would I be doing that is healthier, more entertaining or equally social, if not working out?  As long as I don't neglect my family or friends, work or domestic responsibilities - I'm glad this is what I put my extra energy and time into right now.

Do I have big triathlon plans this year?  No, not really - I just want to work super hard, stay healthy and do well.  After completing my first half-Ironman last year at Troika, I discovered (again) that endurance training and racing makes me really, really happy and satiated.  My first "A" race is at Oceanside, California 70.3, where I will get my ass handed to me by highly skilled and very tanned Californians!  Beyond that race in early April, I'd love to do the REV3 Half-Ironman in Oregon and a couple handfuls of local and other triathlons, along with a smattering of run races too. 

About fifteen months ago, me and two of my gorgeous friends, Jessi and Tiff, created our own "dinna club!"  We've been feeding each other's families week after week since last October with nothing but delicious, healthy, hearty recipes.  If you're interested in saving time and money and want to get creative plus enjoy the art of cooking...check out our blog at

I hope 2011 is filled with new memories made by family and friends, invigorating training sessions, delicious meals, and abundant love for you!

Thank-FULL

This is a pic of me and my AHMAZING daughter, Lyara.  She absolutely MADE Thanksgiving.  As my friend, Jessi would say, "I die."  BTW, those are not her glasses, nor do they contain lenses - that's just how she rollz.

Greg and I got up in the morning and ran our annual, traditional Turkey Trot at Manito Park with several other turkeys teammates in frigid 12 degree temps and also gobbled up a donut at Krispy Kreme (we had to, it's tradition ;). Then we cooked the green bean casserole, simmered the cranberries and baked the rolls.  But what I really cared about and obsessed over all day was the arrival of my daughter from Portland, where she moved two months ago.  Spokane was literally in the middle of a blizzard and I was nervous waiting and worrying that Lyara arrive safely to be with us for the holiday.

She arrived and I went into instant mom mode.  I cannot possibly explain how much a part of me Lyara is, but I feel as if I spent the long weekend with that "new mother glow."

Thanksgiving dinner with my husband, daughter and family was relaxing and cup-filling.  I don't see my sisters often enough, along with their five kids.  No matter, we fell into place with each other and picked up the jokes and hugs where we'd last left off.

My absolute favorite memory of Thanksgiving this year happened when I was in my mom's kitchen and I could hear the raw laughter from all the kids, and recognize the sheer and innocent joy they all felt just being together.  Gives me chills to think of it still.

We adults had some fun too, cooking and cleaning to the music - dancing with each other and embarrassing our babies by dancing with them.  Thanks, mom and dad for providing your home and hearts to share with us.  My family has an incredible gift of accepting and loving each other just the way we are.  This means the world to me because while I adore my sweet daughter and don't give a lick if she shaves her head or wears dreads, or conforms to the typical young adult norms, the rest of the world is not always so kind.  However, my people are a group of distinctly unique and wonderful humans, loving us unconditionally.

For the rest of the week, Lyara and I shopped (obvi), watched movies, went out to dinner, chatted endlessly, shared our favorite music with one another, decorated the house, talked about her future and I truly could not have felt any happier or more blessed.

There are SO, SO many people in my life to be thankful for - and the people are all that matter. I indulge in material "things" and I'm not denying it. I am simply acknowledging when it comes right down to the heart of gratefulness and Thanksgiving, it is only the people that make it so.  I hope your holiday was as memorable and lovely as mine.

Five Greats.

Recently I read a blog post about how this time of year can be really stressful.  You know when the tri season ends, The holiday rush begins ($ is spent), people get sick, days "grow?" shorter, motivation runs low.  The keys to remaining calm and sane are different for everyone.  What works for me, may not work to de-stress you.  But the blogger suggested that instead of focusing on stresses or negativity, focus on five greats.  Name five things that make your life great right now.  I liked this idea and making this list did make me feel better:
1)  Any correspondence with my daughter - texts, calls, emails, Facebook chats.
2)  Sunshine and warm afternoons; amazingly still making appearances daily.
3)  Espresso in the morning.  Now I'm making mine hot, with non-fat milk and caramel syrup, yum.
4)  Mountain biking...I said I'd never be into this, but since the first time... I am in love.
5)  Train's song, "Marry Me."  Sooooo sweet.  Seriously, I will listen to it at least one more time before I go tuck myself into bed.

(Sometimes, my greats combine and grow exponentially greater, as pictured above - sunshine, warmth and mountain biking :)

What are your five greats?

Schmuckleberries!

Last weekend Greg and I had a mini-vacay up at Schweitzer mountain with some super fun and adventurous friends...

Things on our "to do" list for the weekend: 

• go hiking, aka climb to the top of Schweitzer mountain (as we did, and it only took us 6 hours since we were also picking berries all the way to the top)
• ride the lift back down the mountain (check!)  it was gorgeous and there was a wedding in progress at the very top
• pick huckleberries (and how!)
• eat huckleberries  (can you say huckleberry pancakes and huckleberries on top of cream cheese icing on zucchini cake?)
• have a picnic on the mountain (breathtaking and delicious, WAY better than eating inside, anywhere!)
• relax, at night only! 
• laugh A LOT, many times laughing AT me, see below

I'm happy to say that we managed to do everything on our list and then some! 

A particular highlight for me was a little seemingly innocent conversation I had with Emma.  Here's the setting=> On Friday night we stopped at Arby's in Sandpoint, where the boys all ordered huckleberry shakes.  While chatting with the manager of Arby's, we learned that they received their huckleberry supply from a local picker, he charged between $30-40 per gallon.  Emma has been saving her money for the past 6 months to purchase her very own iPod Touch.  She has worked very hard to earn this money, including rubbing feet, stacking wood, saving birthday money, weeding and various other "jobs" around her home.  When Emma heard that huckleberries cost $30-40/gallon, a little lightbulb went off in her brain!  Both Saturday and Sunday we all spent some time picking mountain huckleberries.  At random times, Emma would ask how many "dollars" worth of huckleberries she had picked.  After we finished picking the last of our huckleberry crops, as we were walking down the mountain toward the condo, Emma and I enjoyed some chit-chat.  It went something like this...
Emma:   "How much do you think I should charge for a half-gallon of my huckleberries?"
Naive me:  "Well, maybe you start by telling me what you think is a fair price, then I'll tell you my opinion."
Emma:  "I was thinking between $20-25 dollars is fair."
Stupid me: "If you average it out, that equals $22.50."
Emma:  "That sounds perfect.  Thank you so much, Matalie!"
Dumb-ass me:  "Did I just BUY your huckleberries??"
Emma:  "Yes, and thank you so, so much!"  "I love you."
Jessi:  "Not to make you feel badly, but you just outbid me by $7.50.  Earlier I offered Emma $15 for the huckleberries."
Silly ho me:  "I'm a dumb-ass."  
Everyone, but me:  Unbridled fanatic laughter.

If you know Emma Thompson, you also know that one never messes with his/her commitments to her.  So, when we got back to Spokane that evening, Emma gently reminded me that I owed her money for the huckleberries I had redeemed from her.  She even reminded her mom, Jessi, to text me her credit union account number so I could DIRECT DEPOSIT her cash!  You bet I did too :).  Love her!!!

Today, Emma and I had a play date to bake a huckleberry crisp.  We will share the crisp with her family, the Byrds and my family, since it's my turn to make dinner for the Dinna Club.  She's a champ and made the crisp by herself, with very little help from me.  YUM! 

My First Half.

At the end of last season, after racing several sprint and Olympic distance tri's for a few years, I decided I wanted to train for my first go at the half-Ironman distance.  I had been working hard at riding stronger and consequently my running fitness had improved.  My swim; however, was still far too slow.  I was not spending enough time swimming.  So, I swam right on through off-season for once.  In April, when our masters swim schedule changed to Mon-Fri in the very early morning, I committed to swim everysingleday at masters until open-water season began, then I switched to alternating masters practice with OWS.  I kept my promise to myself and never once swam less than 5 days/week leading up to the race.  I went to work from the first of April through the end of June with my hair in a wet, sloppy bun.  Believe me, I sacrificed ;).

In April, I still hadn't decided which race would be my first half.  I was toying with Boise, Troika and Lake Stevens.  As luck would have it, the decision was left to luck.  At our Tri Fusion meeting in mid-April, a race entry for Troika was raffled off.  I did not win that raffle.  Instead, I won another prize, a product that I am very well supplied with already.  The Troika entry kept getting turned down.  Finally, when one of my teammates was hedging on accepting the entry, I offered to trade her prize for my prize.  She gladly accepted my offer and I was finally committed to an half IM race!

I'm one of those people that needs to be VERY prepared when doing something unknown, challenging or extremely important.  Because of this, I was already following a training plan that was somewhat aggressive on mileage/time spent training, to get myself ready.  I worked my way through three different training tables from the beginning of the season until race day: a sprint plan until March, then onto the Olympic plan through April; to finish with the half IM plan.  I also left myself room to participate in random longer training sessions with teammates and friends and race some fun, local venues.  I wanted to enjoy training and learn from athletes with experience.  I needed lots of solid swims, rides, and runs.

All of the preparation proved to be very physically and mentally helpful.  I'm not saying I never had a "downer" day/week of training or that I felt 100% confident I would finish the race.  I will say that on the last day of training before the week of taper began, when I finished a triathlon followed by a long ride, I finally felt like I just might make it.  Waves of built-up doubt left my mind.

Taper week seemed so boring.  I felt like a person without a purpose.  Absolutely lame, I know.  But I kept my nutrition in check, followed my plan and waited patiently.  The day before the race, I listened to the advice of my experienced (and successful!) husband and focused on a specific race plan.  Nerves eventually crept up on me again about 15 hours before the race.

I managed to sleep almost 7 hours that night and woke up thinking, "I should be excited, this is going to be an amazing adventure, no matter what!"  And so I was.

Race Day (I know, finally, right?)

Publicly, I had NO time goals for Troika.  My only real expectation for myself was to finish the damn thing already.   Get it over with, please.


Swim:  I figured logically that the swim would take me 45 minutes.  In previous Olympic distance races I had completed the swim within 36-38 minutes, but I had made some improvement.  I really wanted to avoid feeling overly anxious at the swim start and swim steady throughout.  I was able to do that.  Before starting, Greg had suggested that I begin kicking harder and really push it in at the last buoy before shore.  Right about then, I got this horrible feeling that I had already been out there for 52 minutes and my time was gonna suck.  But when I got out of the water, I checked my HR monitor and it read 42 minutes!  I gave a little fist-pump as I ran to T1 and let my family/friends know that I had exceeded my private goal.  Just then a smile on my face appeared and remained for the duration of my entire race :)))). 

I have to mention that I had the most incredible and loving support crew beyond belief at this race!  SERIOUSLY.  My husband, Greg, had every.little.thing. dialed in for me for race day.  He had a ton of confidence in me.  He loved me up all day long, with unexpected sightings of him throughout the course and whoo-hooing I've never heard from him before!  Carrying me from the swim all through the bike to finish my run, with hooting and hollering, making me look like a rockstar by encouraging me and cheering with all their might at the race were:  Tiff, Eric, Steve, my mother-in-law, Trish, John, Jessi, Rog, Emma, my mom, step-dad, Rosi, Barb, Tim, Andy, Elise :), Nate, Merissa, Jenn, Adam, Gg, Dd, Craig, Kathy, Eric, Brynn, Teri, Laura, Phaedra, Amy, Jeff, and Rodger. 

Bike:  My plan on the bike was to ride in HR zones high 3-low 4.  I'd used my label-maker to post stickers on my handlebars with those 2 zones only, to keep me totally focused.  I was able to maintain exactly what I planned.  Since I had ridden between 56-70 miles at least a half-dozen times during training, I expected the ride, at my target HR zones, to take 3:05-3:15. There were times when I wanted to pedal harder, go faster and stand up on the hills, but I heeded the advice I'd been given and stuck to the plan. I really only felt a lull in the ride from miles 45-finish, because basically everyone out cheering had gone into town to get ready for the run leg of the race.   I finished the mileage in 3:02 and I was still smiling!


Run:  Typically, the run of any triathlon is the part I am most looking forward to racing.  The run is where I have the most experience. I did not feel the same about the half IM distance.  Running a 5K or 10K after biking your legs off for 30 minutes or an hour is not comparable to running a half-marathon after 56 miles of riding and 1.2 miles of swimming.  While training recently, I'd run 13.1 miles in 1:47 and 15 miles in a bit more than 2 hours.  To put the run into perspective at the end of an endurance race, I wanted to finish in 2 hours or less.  Greg, Jessi and Erica had advised me to start out running conservatively, take in all the nutrition I had planned, and stay steady until about mile 10.  With 3 miles to go, I was to pick up my pace (if I could) and finish strong.  I ran mostly in HR zone 4 and had no idea my pace whatsoever.  I didn't even care.  I just smiled my way up and down the run course, congratulating every racer that I ran by, coming and going.


Again, I followed my plan and felt pretty good the whole run.  In the last three miles, I picked up the pace and ran with my heart, so happy to accomplish a goal that I'd prepared diligently to finish.  I'd pictured the finish line only a zillion times before, but I didn't expect to feel so happy and loved as I did.  An entire hillside was loaded with my family, friends and teammates as I approached the finish chute.  The sound of cheering was ENORMOUS and unbelievable!

 As I de-briefed the race, I checked my run split...1:59:59!  My secret, told-no-one, overall finish goal was to not exceed 6 hours.  Total time = 5:50.  It's good enough for me!

I wasn't the only one out there trying to either make peace with the half IM distance, set a new PR, or try it for the first time.  My good buddy, Matty accomplished a major PR at Troika, overcoming some demons that have chased him before, but no more!  Congrats to a much deserved solid race, long and strong :).  Erica (pictured with me far above), one of my fantastic friends and a fast lady that is crushing the field this season, also endured Troika for a solid PR and a first place in her AG!  She amazes me all the time.  Rene joined me in the first timers club and finished in a highly respectable time! Way to go, man.



Many friends commented on my permanent grin for the entirety of the race.  I was truly happy to have the health to participate at Troika on Sunday.  I value my life and what I have been given and the people God has blessed me with who make me who I am.